Catching Up
Writing for the blog has taken a back seat to other activities lately.
For those who expect fresh material here...I apologize. The holiday
weekend, getting my ad agency business re-invented, and then getting
ready for the start of Grizzlies baseball season has dominated my
time.
--Speaking of the Grizzlies...Another very well done opening night by
GM Tony Funderburg's staff at GCS Ballpark last night. As you probably
know if you've been there, they take minor league baseball and turn it
into a gigantic, classy, and most importan tly, fun night out. The
park is always clean and well-maintained. The field is as close to
major league quality as you'll find anywhere. The staff and workers
are well-trained and friendly in all situations. The concessions don't
cost an arm-and-a-leg. And Danny Cox's team usually puts on a very
good show. I'm happy to be a small part of the experience as their
p.a. announcer. The Grizzlies look to have a pretty good bunch of
players this year. Hopefully, you will come out to one of the great
minor league stadiums in America sometime this year and enjoy a
Gateway Grizzlies game. Click on the link on this page for tickets.
--I'm predicting that the Cardinals, even though they are in pretty
good shape in the standings right now, will be very active in the
trade market before the deadline. It appears something will have to be
done to bolster the outfield. And their pitching situation...with the
impending free-agency of four starters...will have to be addressed
too. Here's my thinking, based on no particular inside information.
Look for lefty Mark Mulder to be traded for an outfielder. I just have
the feeling that the Cardinals...even though lefties like Mulder ar e
highly sought after...will not want to sign Mulder to the kind of deal
that will keep him in St. Louis. Trading him before the deadline for
an outfielder with more punch than the current
Taguchi/Rodriguez/Bigbie/Spiezio/Luna committee seems to be logical. I
think it's also possible that The Birds might also move Jason Marquis
to help address the deteriorating outfield situation. Marquis has a
lot of pitching talent...but seems to be unable, mentally, to
consistently use it. Jim Edmonds isn't getting any younger...he's
hurt...is slowing down anyway...and has a 10 million dollar option for
next season. So, getting somebody now to fill his spot if the injury
persists...and then have them for next year...would make some sense.
The Cards would then put a lot of trust in righthanders Anthony Reyes
and Adam Wainwright, who will undoubtedly be in the rotation at some
point anyway, to fill the holes in the rotation. It's
risky...especially for a team counting on success in the
post-season...but I wouldn't be surprised to see a couple of
blockbusters like that next month.
--Too bad the new Checketts ownership group couldn't get approval from
the NHL to take over the Blues before the end of the playoffs. I'm
sure they have a lot of their strategy...and personnel
decisions...ready to be announced. But, it would be nice for them to
be able to actually get things moving with the new people so that
marketing and sales efforts for the coming season could be implemented
now. These next few months will fly by no matter who's sitting in the
offices at Savvis. But, particularly so with new people. Look for an
ownership change/upper management introduction press conference as
soon as the Board of Governors approves the transfer...probably last
week of this month.
--As you undoubtedly know if you visit this blog somewhat
regularly...I became a big fan of Chris Daughtry during the American
Idol competition this year. The young guy from North Carolina not only
struck me as the most talented singer of the bunch, but he also had
much in common with oldest son Ian...including the shaved head look.
So, it was heartening to hear that Chris is already making it big in
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